Why aren\u2019t you buying this magazine? If you\u2019re standing at your local corner store, Chapters, Wal Mart, etc. flipping through the pages, what is it that makes you put it back on the shelf and move on to the next publication?<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a question I ask myself every issue. What can we do to get more subscribers and advertisers? What are we good at? What are we missing?<\/p>\n
With each of the last 19 issues I\u2019ve tried to improve the content and quality of the magazine. I\u2019ve tried, and I\u2019m finally succeeding, to add more technical articles for the DIY crowd. I\u2019ve continually added more pages and this publication is so far our largest, with 100 pages in total. I\u2019ve also added more ways for readers to get involved with the magazine, from Reader Rides to the CHRC Mailbag and What\u2019s In Your Garage feature. (Speaking of WIYG, it\u2019s not in this issue due to space constraints).<\/p>\n
Our circulation, while not rapidly increasing, has and continues to increase and that makes it easier to find \u2014 especially for those east of the Rockies.<\/p>\n
Today, we are Canada\u2019s only all-Canadian content hot rod magazine but even before that I felt the quality of content and layout was far better than other publications which have since disappeared for reasons unknown.<\/p>\n
When I broke down this magazine\u2019s pluses and minuses, I felt the biggest thing that made readers and advertisers walk away without purchasing the magazine was the paper it was printed on. In the past, the majority of the magazine was printed on a high grade newsprint. That meant photos weren\u2019t as sharp or vibrant as they should have been and there were other ink issues related to newsprint production.<\/p>\n
As you may have noticed there isn\u2019t any newsprint in this edition. We\u2019re finally printed on all glossy paper.<\/p>\n
The magazine business is a tough one and our tiny Canadian publication has to compete with some pretty stellar, and resource rich, U.S. magazines. But I feel pretty good about the product I send to press every two months. (Yes, we\u2019d like to publish more frequently, but that takes time and I believe it will happen if readers really want it to.)<\/p>\n
Potential readers now have one less excuse not to buy the magazine and regular readers will enjoy higher quality photos and colour quality.<\/p>\n
Please email, phone, write, leave an answering machine rant and tell us what you like and don\u2019t like about the publication. The name on the masthead says this is my magazine, but really it belongs more to the readers than to me. So, let\u2019s hear from you.<\/p>\n
On to another topic. What\u2019s up with you finicky readers who can\u2019t stand seeing content from anywhere else but 50 miles from your front lawn? Why does a car have to be from within 50 kilometers of your house to be relevant magazine material? And why would you want to read about cars you see at every cruise night or weekend show you go to. Wouldn\u2019t it be more interesting to read and see cars you\u2019ll never see otherwise?<\/p>\n
Recently I received an email from a B.C. resident complaining we had too much Eastern content in the magazine, even though the particular magazine he was complaining about only included about three Ontario content stories.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t get too smug Ontario readers. Every time I attend shows in Ontario I get guys who\u2019ll pick up the magazine and say, \u201chey that car\u2019s from Alberta, why would I want to read about that?”Are you serious?<\/p>\n
We are a national Canadian magazine featuring cars from across Canada and guys complain about where the car is from? Isn\u2019t a cool car a cool car? All of you pick up U.S. magazines that rarely ever feature cars from anywhere in Canada and yet you don\u2019t complain.<\/p>\n
Yes, balance is important. We continue to work on increasing content from not just Ontario, but Saskatoon, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Quebec, etc.<\/p>\n
Okay, I\u2019ll get down off my soapbox and talk about something else.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m really excited that we\u2019ve finally started coverage of our first project car, the 1963 Budget Rambler wagon. Maybe the biggest reason for that is I haven\u2019t had a hot rod to drive since I sold my \u201967 Impala more than a year ago. Technically, with a near stock 283 it wasn\u2019t much of a hot rod, but it was cool and I loved driving it. As regular readers know, I\u2019ve been taking my frustrations out on my \u201982 Suburban, which coincidently just came home from being painted. My buddy Dan is an apprentice body man so him and I went at the ugly two-tone beast with orbitals ablazing and mud flying. After that was all done, Dan laid a coat of single stage white on the behemoth (I painted the rear valance and part of the tailgate. I\u2019m eager but I\u2019m still not too confident with the gun) and it actually looks really good. As Dan says, \u201cPretty good for two guys who don\u2019t know what the hell they\u2019re doing.\u201d Well, that\u2019s becoming less and less true.<\/p>\n
Recently I dragged home another carcass \u2014 this one a 1957 Ford 2-door Ranch Wagon. I got it as a parts car for my \u201957 Ford Sedan Delivery. Thanks go to Jason in Medicine Hat for holding the car through the winter.<\/p>\n
Well, that\u2019s it. The magazine is done and I\u2019m tired. We head to Saskatoon Wednesday for the Super Run, then I\u2019ll be in Port Alberni for Thunder in the Alberni Valley (www.albernidragracing.com) then off to Ontario for shows in Oshawa (Autofest), Mississauga and the Barrie Automotive Flea market.<\/p>\n
See you there.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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